TRANSPORT & TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT
RESPONSE TO STATEMENT BY DEPUTY SEAN POWER ON THE PROPOSED ENERGY FROM WASTE FACILITY
ISSUED TO STATES MEMBERS ON 17 JANUARY 2007
39/8/1
TRANSPORT & TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT
RESPONSE TO STATEMENT BY DEPUTY SEAN POWER ON THE PROPOSED ENERGY FROM WASTE FACILITY
ISSUED TO STATES MEMBERS ON 17 JANUARY 2007
Introduction
Transport and Technical Services submitted an Outline Planning Application for an Energy from Waste plant on 9 January 2007. Deputy Sean Power issued a statement to States Members on 14 January 2007 (attached as Appendix 1) indicating his personal view in response to the submission of this application. The statement unfortunately contains several inaccuracies and misrepresentations which the Department wishes States Members to be aware of.
Summary of TTS Comments
· The third line at Bellozanne does not offer a viable means of disposing of the Island’s waste in the medium term, because the boiler commissioned in 1992 is dependent upon the original chimney, waste bunker, cranes, generating and electrical plant which it is not value for money to refurbish.
· The existing Bellozanne incinerator is almost certainly the dirtiest operating in Western Europe, in air pollution terms, as a result of the implementation of requirements of the EU Directive on the Incineration of Wastes by other European States. If it was located in the European Union it would have been closed down in 1996.
· Diversion of the materials identified by Deputy Power is either already happening or is planned as part of implementation of the Solid Waste Strategy. The Department are not aware of any forthcoming ban on the incineration of tyres.
· The estimated cost of the replacement energy from waste plant is contained within the Solid Waste Strategy approved by States Members in July 2005 and is a matter of public record.
· Recycling programmes are being rolled out in line with the programme and investment approved by the States within the Solid Waste Strategy. Recycling increased by over 3% in 2006 alongside an increase in overall rubbish of 6%. These levels are broadly in line with those predicted within the Solid Waste Strategy.
· A condition survey conducted by the Department in consultation with the Jersey Electricity Company indicates that the existing chimney can indeed be used by the proposed replacement Energy from Waste facility.
· The proposed facility will generate approximately 11 Megawatts in the longer term which is equivalent to the electricity requirement of approximately 8,000 homes. This statement is based on the outputs of proven operational plants.
· The statements made about recycling are unfortunately largely inaccurate, misleading and could easily damage public confidence in the recycling process.
· The carbon footprint of waste management will reduce as a result of the proposed energy from waste plant as it will displace fossil fuels used in energy production elsewhere.
Detailed response to matters raised
Lifecycle of the existing Bellozanne Incinerator
The statement indicates that the third line at Bellozanne has an anticipated life of 12 - 13 years. This is partially correct, in that the third line was commissioned in 1992 and so the boiler for that line indeed has a life expectancy that would outlast the commissioning of the proposed replacement facility. However, the boiler and grate comprises less than a third of the capital outlay for an Energy from Waste plant, the majority of capital outlay is for the associated waste reception, storage, generation, electricity connection and flue gas treatment plant. As these elements were all commissioned as part of the original two line plant in 1979 the Department’s view remains that it would not offer the Island value for money to refurbish the existing Bellozanne incinerator.
Dirtiest plant in Europe
The Department stands by the statement that the current Bellozanne incinerator is probably the dirtiest in Western Europe. All plants within the European Union are required to meet the requirements of the EU Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) which specifies the design features that waste combustion processes must meet. The requirements of this Directive have been fully implemented across the countries of the European Union and as a result all operating facilities now meet the air quality standards that far exceed that of the existing Bellozanne plant.
Use of the existing incinerator
It is self-evident to state that the existing incinerator would be cleaner if the materials listed by Deputy Power were not burnt and in implementing the States Solid Waste Strategy (July 2005) and the Department is progressing the diversion of many of the materials identified.
For example:
· the first load of fridges for recycling was dispatched from the Island in December 2006
· collection of electrical equipment for re-use will commence at the temporary re-use and recycling service in April
· plastic bottles will be collected at bring sites and some polythene recycling schemes are already in operation
· there are 9 battery banks already in operation across the Island. Batteries from commercial sources are also collected for recycling at Bellozanne.
· over 1,000 tonnes of household newspapers and magazines and 4,000 tonnes of cardboard were recycled on the Island during 2006
However, even with these materials removed from the waste stream there will still be a requirement for a significant replacement disposal facility.
Neither the Department nor its Technical Consultant are aware of any current or foreseeable requirement under European law to ban the burning of vehicle tyres and would welcome the reference for the statement made by Deputy Power.
Cost of the incinerator and investment in recycling
The final cost of the replacement energy from waste plant will not be known until the tendering exercise and detailed planning process is completed. The Solid Waste Strategy, approved by the States in July 2005, contains an estimate of the anticipated cost of the replacement plant (section 8.1.3 page 93), based on December 2004 prices, and this information was provided in response to a direct question by States Members and the media.
The Department is investing in recycling and composting in line with the programme outlined within the Solid Waste Strategy. As a result, recycling has increased broadly in line with that expected within the strategy. In 2006, the States recycled 28% of rubbish, up by almost 5,000 tonnes on the previous year. This was achieved alongside an increase in overall waste managed of almost 6% which took the total annual amount of waste received above 100,000 tonnes.
Use of the Jersey Electricity Company Power Station Chimney
Deputy Power’s statement indicates that the Jersey Electricity Company (JEC) chimney is not suitable for the proposed replacement energy from waste plant. This is incorrect. A condition survey has been undertaken by the Department in full consultation with the JEC and this shows that the existing chimney can be fitted with new flues. The Department are in on-going discussions with JEC and both parties are proceeding on the basis that the chimney will be used for the replacement plant.
Electrical generation capacity of the proposed energy from waste plant.
The Environmental Impact Assessment Supporting Statement prepared by Babtie Fichtner - the Department’s technical advisers - and based on the known outputs of several new energy from waste plants commissioned in the last five years - indicates that the proposed plant will generate the equivalent of approximately 11 Megawatts of capacity in the longer term. This is equivalent to the electricity requirements of over 8,000 homes. The Department therefore stands by the figure presented in the Outline Planning Application.
Recycling and composting activities
The statement that HM Prison La Moye has not yet received a recycling service is correct. This is because the recycling service - led professionally by John Rive - has been focussing on rolling out services to the general public. Nevertheless, there have been ongoing discussions with the Prison management and initial trials on the refurbishment of pallets for re-use have been undertaken . The Department is also keen to work with the Prison on the dismantling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment to facilitate recycling of these products and a recycling service will be provided in due course.
Jersey’s current recycling rate of 28% includes household and commercial recycling. The household rate is broadly comparable with the rate achieved by England. Many other European countries have higher recycling rates but employ energy from waste for a majority of their waste treatment and recycle at rates broadly in line with those anticipated by the Solid Waste Strategy.
The recycling service has been allocated budgets in accordance with the programme outlined within the Solid Waste Strategy and approved by States Members.
Glass collected for recycling is reprocessed and is then used beneficially for lining the reclamation site, replacing aggregate that would otherwise be required. This process is defined as recycling in the European context. Exporting segregated glass for recycling is likely to have a greater environmental impact than recycling it within Jersey, but it would be significantly more expensive. It is therefore incorrect to state that the glass is “dumped”.
It is incorrect to state that paper collected for recycling by the States is not recycled. Only non-paper materials such as plastic bags are disposed of from the process and energy recovery is environmentally sensible for such material. The residents of Jersey should be reassured that since the scheme began over 2 years ago 100% of the uncontaminated newspapers and magazines collected for recycling have and will continue to be recycled. To state otherwise directly undermines efforts to increase recycling by damaging public confidence in that disposal route.
The Department agrees that more composting should be undertaken and has been endeavouring to provide a replacement enclosed composting facility since the Solid Waste Strategy was approved in July 2005 - indeed a facility could have been operational by now if the Department’s initial proposals had been progressed. These efforts have met with political opposition and therefore the Minister for Transport and Technical Services has agreed to consider alternative sites in private ownership - if suitable sites exist. The consideration of alternatives has been agreed with the Chair of the Environment Panel of which Deputy Power is a member. The Environment Panel was also a primary source of the political opposition to the original proposals.
The Department does not agree that food waste should be composted in addition to “green” or garden type waste as no market for compost containing food waste yet exists on the Island and will not do so for the foreseeable future. Importantly, the Report on Composting from the Working Party led by Deputy Paul Le Claire (November 2006) did not recommend that composting food waste should be progressed currently either. However, the Department keeps the matter under on-going review in accordance with the commitments outlined within the approved Solid Waste Strategy.
The Department is aware of thermal reprocessing technology for treatment of tyres within the United Kingdom, but does not accept that the export of tyres for energy from waste treatment is more sustainable than the proposed arrangement of recovering energy within Jersey’s energy from waste facility. The Department’s technical consultants have advised that treatment of tyres within the proposed energy from waste facility can continue whilst still meeting the dramatically improved air quality standards required by the EU Directive on Incineration of Waste, by which the facility will be bound to operate.
Aluminium can recycling banks are already available to the public and these will be enhanced in April to include all metal packaging including steel, aluminium and aerosol cans. Once the separation of hazardous materials such as batteries has reached levels in line with the Solid Waste Strategy, the separation of metals from the residual waste for recycling at the proposed energy from waste plant will also be possible.
Carbon footprint
The proposed energy from waste facility would result in waste management in Jersey having a reduced carbon footprint due to the replacement of fossil fuels that will result from the increased electricity generation at the new plant. As has been stated, Jersey requires a residual waste disposal facility and it is inevitable that any such facility will have some carbon footprint. However, the increased recycling of paper, card and composting of garden waste proposed within the Solid Waste Strategy approved by the States will minimise this impact to a sustainable level.
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